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[Grundislav]

Adamski, have you heard of Dirty Split?

It's a freeware point and click adventure in the style of Shag, and is really very good.  I suggest you check it out.

[ImaginaryThomas]

I also like rotoscoping, particularly in the LoTR animated film by Ralph Bakshi. However, I've never yet seen rotoscoping in a game, so perhaps this doesn't count.

  Also: Wizards.

[skaldicpoet9]

Well, I know that this is cliche but I really love the old school style of pixel art. The thing I really dig is how simple, yet complex it is. As Rinku was saying before a really great pixel artist can do great things with the medium but sadly it can also be horribly mangled and look like utter dog shit. I think what really draws me to pixel art is that it is so iconic and representative of something rather then trying to take something and make it look exactly like that thing. Pixel art to me is more symbolic in it's nature with certain things representing things that affect our senses on a subconscious level, i.e. the small pixelated heart representing life and other common video game motifs. Really great pixal art affects me so much more then any 3D stuff does simply because the artist is really given an immense amount of creative license to make something that is more of idealization of an archetype.

[Valter]

Well, I know that this is cliche but I really love the old school style of pixel art. The thing I really dig is how simple, yet complex it is. As Rinku was saying before a really great pixel artist can do great things with the medium but sadly it can also be horribly mangled and look like utter dog shit. I think what really draws me to pixel art is that it is so iconic and representative of something rather then trying to take something and make it look exactly like that thing. Pixel art to me is more symbolic in it's nature with certain things representing things that affect our senses on a subconscious level, i.e. the small pixelated heart representing life and other common video game motifs. Really great pixal art affects me so much more then any 3D stuff does simply because the artist is really given an immense amount of creative license to make something that is more of idealization of an archetype.

Agreed. My favorite graphics are always in pixel art. Part of the reason is that you're not really fettered by realism. In Halo, when you throw a grenade, it'll throw up a pile of dirt. When you throw a grenade in a pixel art game, it's more likely you'll actually get to see it blow the fuck up. All the coolest explosions are in pixel art.

[GregWS]

I think photorealism shouldn't be used as much as it is, though there are acceptable times for it; games with a strong connection to reality like MGS for example. 

I don't think games have quite achieved photorealistic levels yet...

No, they haven't, but I was more referring to games that try for photorealism.

[Zaphos]

I also like rotoscoping, particularly in the LoTR animated film by Ralph Bakshi. However, I've never yet seen rotoscoping in a game, so perhaps this doesn't count.

Uh. Rotoscoping is just animation that happens to look horrible.

And yeh, all big budget games use motion capture which is just rotoscoping in 3d.

That's a pretty weird view ... people in general seem to be quite fond of some rotoscoping and motion capture work.  Disney's snow white, for example.  Or andy sirkis's characters.  Obviously it can be done badly, and if you're a snoody animator you might pick out details and say, 'that could have been better by hand,' but to say it's always 'horrible' seems pretty over the top.

I think it's more useful to think of rotoscoping and mocap as tools for aiding animation and neither as a style in itself.  Especially with mocap -- it's just data, and there are a lot of different ways to use it.